Please Support Daughters of the American Revolution

John Russell Pope, an American architect, designed DAR’s new Constitution Hall crowned by a massive overhead Lay Light that would allow Daughters to enjoy daytime events by natural sunlight and evening concerts under the stars. Edith Scott Magna, President General, 1932–1935, then serving as the National Chair of the DAR Constitution Hall Finance Committee, sought a creative way to secure the funding needed to construct the Society’s new auditorium. Capitalizing on the natural light that would flood the new auditorium through its innovative Lay Light ceiling, she developed a campaign to “Sell Sunshine.”

A press account from October 23, 1929, reported that Mrs. Magna traveled extensively and successfully raised more than $1 million “selling sunshine” to Daughters for their new hall. That’s equivalent to more than $15 million in today’s dollars.

In 1954, the Lay Light was covered to reduce heat impacts; decades later, a rooftop solar array was added. It would, therefore, be impossible to restore the original Lay Light to the working order today.

However, DAR Constitution Hall: The Next Act includes a plan to achieve the same day and nighttime effects via modern technology so that those who attend events will experience the same overhead lighting as Pope’s original design. In addition, the ceiling will be retrofitted to safely support the advanced rigging systems that are now required for concerts and events.

The Lay Light restoration will provide Daughters the opportunity to experience natural lighting and “virtual stars” overhead to replicate the original design. The Next Act is designed to marry historic preservation with the use of modern technology to ensure that DAR Constitution Hall remains a competitive venue.

What better way to honor the memory of those who built our monument to the U.S. Constitution than to once again symbolically sell sunshine? What better way to Rise and Shine than through the restoration of the historic Lay Light in DAR Constitution Hall, our National Historic Landmark?